Elevator-door.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.`

J. L. KAIL.

BLBVATUR 110011. y APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1907.l

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vUNITED sim-Tas. PATENTOEFICE JACKSON L. KAIL, .OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELEVATOR-DOOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.-

-Patented. Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed July 15, 1907. Serial No. 383,777.

. T o all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, JACKSON L. KAIL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulv Improvements in Elevator-Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in elevator doors, the object being to provide a door adapted to open and close the Openings in the elevator inclosure at the various floors, and so arranged that all of the openings, with the exception of the one at the floor where the elevator car happens to be, shall always be closed and the closure locked.

Another object is to provide a door that is operated by the movement of the car to open and close the same.

Another object is to providea device in which the door opening is positively closed by the car as the latter leaves the opening.

To such end the invention consist-s in a flexible door adapted to cover at all times all of the door openings in the inclosure with the exception of the one in front of thevcar and so arranged that the ear shifts the passage way in the door from ioor to floor as the car travels from floor to floor.

It further consists in means for locking the door at the various iloors and for unlocking it in front of the car as the latter .moves alone'.

Otlier objects and advantages will appear in the course of this specification and the essential features will be more definitely pointed out in the claims.

The invention is fully described in this specication and clearly shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front view of an elevator inclosure, with nl v improved door a plied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section tiereof taken on the line B-Q-Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of an elevator car, a fragment of the door and certain parts of the door operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the elevator inclosure and well, taken on the iine 44-Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a fragment of the door and inclosure certain sheaves and roller being shown in dotted lines.- Fig. 6 is a fragmental plan view of certain door operating mechanism, and Fig. 7 is a plan view of cer- 55 tain door operating mechanism located below the car. i

In these views A. indicates` an elevator inolosure of suitable ornamental design, and containing the usual door openings a, a, az, a3 located at the different floors (120.5, a", a', v of the building. The elevator car B, is carried by the cables b, in the usual manner and is guided upon vertical guides a? as is common in elevators of this class. The elevator car is preferably provided with a gate, b1 which may be of any well k1 own type, an adapted to be moved by theelevator conductor to open or close theopening in the front of the ear. In heightjelevators this gate may be dispensed with, but, it'\serves the purpose of preventing injury tog-.passengers from Contact with the inclosure, o from falling out of the elevator car.

The door openings are adapted"\to be I As shown this door is supported` 8O upon abar 10, at the to of the inclosure and v hangs down in the we1 immediately behind the front wall of the inclosure, and extends past all of t-he door openings therein, except the one in front of the car, where it is carried around and behind said car by means of rollers, 20, 21 22, 23, supported by the car,

as hereafter set forth. This provides a. door which closes every door opening in the inclosure except at the point immediately in front of the car, where a ga is let't through which the car may be enterer or left.

The door comprises a plurality Of flexible members, here shown as cables 11, which extend -from the top to the bottom of the well, and are clamped to the bar 10, at the top thereof, by means of clam s 10, The cables are also clamped at their ower ends to a bar 1()b by means of clamps 10 Cross bars 12, are clamped to the cables 11, as by hook bolts 12, and said cross bars may be of ornamental design to give a pleasing appearance to the door and they are spaced apart at regular intervals, the distance between them being, regulated as desired.

'The cables form iiexible connections loe-- r2 l' I 895,437

* bars apart and the bars sei-ve to space the cables, so that they cannot be spread a art in front of the door opening. The cross ars extend beyond the body of the door device,

'thus forming lateral projections which cooperate with other devices to prevent transverse movement of the flexible door, except at the point where it is carried around the car, so that it is impossible for one to force the door into the well.

As shown the mechanism for locking the door in placel comprises a pair of locking cables 13, that extend along the side edges of the door and between which cables and the door casings a", the cross bais` 12, are confined whereby forward or backward movenient of the door is prevented at. any point exce t at the car. A plurality of stops or shou ders 14, are secured to the door casiiigs a which stops lie between the ends of the adjacent cross-bars and overhang the cables 13, so as to prevent the latter from being accidentally moved away from the iiiclosure; consequent-ly the door itself is prevented .from being forced into the well by reason of the engagement of the ends of the cross bars, with the braced locking cables 13. The locking cables 13, are however diverted from their couise by means of sheaves 15, 16, 15, 16, which are carried by the car so as to release the door and permit the latter to leave its,

sheaves 15, 16, 15a, 16a, are jouriialed upon brackets 17, secured u on the top and bottom of the car and as s iown said sheaves are so arranged as to carry a bight of the locking cables out of line, (see Fig. 3) thereby leaving a ap in the locking cables through which tlie cross bars may leave and enter the plane of the door. The cross bars are thus securely held between the door casings and the l'ieking' cables, and as the car passes alorg the locking cables are switched away from the cross bars to allow the door to pass around the car, and then switched behind them as the door againenters the longitudinal plane, thus again 'locking it in place behind the car as it passes along.

The rollers 20, 21, are journaled in brackcts'24 Vwhich are mounted upon the arch bar, b2., of the elevator car, and the rollers 22, .23 are `journaled in brackets 25, 26 mounted upon the beam b3, which forms part of the supporting frame of the car. The brackets 25,'are pivtally mounted upon the beam b3 and adjusting screws 25 are threaded in said arms and bear upon bearing plates 25, secured upon the underside of the car. This furnishes means for taking up slack in the cables and for bringing the cross bars into proper relation with the stops 14. The rolly ers 20, 21, 22, 23 are grooved longitudinally upon tlieirperi )heries to admit the cross bars 12 of the cables when passimr around'the rollers, and the ends of the rozllers are provided with groovcd flanges 20c in which run the endA cables of 'the door, said grooved flanges serving to guide the door in lts movement around the car. It is obvious that inasmuch as the cross bars enter the longitudinal Grooves in the rollers. as they pass around the same; very little if any noise is produced in the operation of the device. The cross bars are nelerably mounted adjustably u )on the cables so that as the cables stretch tie cross bars may be adjusted to place so as to fall in between the adjacent shoulders or stops, 14, on the door casing. Furthermore the entire door may be ad justcd vertically by means ofthe clamps at the top and bottom of the iiiclosure.

In the operation of the device the car is run up and down in the well the bight in the door passing around the car, leaving a (rap or passageway immediately in front of tic car through which passengers may enter or leave the car. The gate b1 icing kept closed until the car stops, there is no danger to the passengers 1n the car from contact with the inclosure or fro'm falling or being pushed out through the door openings at the dillereiit floors.

If the car is ascending, .the door asses around the rollers 20, .21, 22, 23, tie direction of the arrows, Fig. 2, the locking cables being deflected from their paths by the. sheaves 15, 16, 15, 16, so as to release the cross bars. As the bight again enters into the longitudinal plane of the door at the undei side of the car, the locking cables are fed back into place thus locking the door to the inclOSure.

openings, means for maintaining a gap in` said door in front of said elevator car and suitably operated, flexible, locking cables for said door, extending along the door openings.

2. lhe combination of an elevator inc osure, having a plurality of door openings, a

;car, a llexible door adapted to close said openings, means upon the car for maintaining a "ap in the door adjacent to the car, flexible 2door locking cables engaging said door to lock the same to the inclosurc and means upon the car for maintaining the cables in disengaged conditio with respect to the door at a point adjacent to the car, regardless of the vertical position of the ear.

3. Elevator door mechanism, comprising an elevator iuclosure having a series of vertically alined door openings, an elevator car, a flexible door constructed and arranged to extend past all of the door openings except one at any given time, means upon the car for maintaining a ga in said door in front of the car, locking cables arranged to lock the door to the inclosure and devices upon the Hear arranged to actuate said cables to unlock .the door at the approach of the car.

Elevator door mechanism, .comprising an elevator well, having a series of vertically alined door openings, an elevator car, a flexibledoor device constructed and arranged to closeall of the door openings in the Well, rollers u on the car arranged to carry a bight of the t oor device around the car, locking cables arranged to hold tliedoor device in its longitudinal lane, and sheaves upon the car arranged to s lift the locking cables out of cngagement with the door devitse.

5. Elevator door mechanism, comprising an elevator well, having a series of verticalljr alined door openings, an elevator car, a ilexible doordevice constructed and arranged to close all of the do'or openings in the welll, ex-

cept the one in front of the car, and having lateral projections extending beyond the edges of the body of the door, guide rollers upon the car, locking cables engaging the lateral projections, retaining devices for the loc-king cables, and sheaves upon the car for disengaging the locking cables from the lateral projections at the ap roach of the car.

6. Elevator door' nieclianism, comprising an elevator well, having a series of verticall alined door openings, an elevator car, a lexlble door device constructed and arranged to close all of the door openings in the well, except the one in front of the car, and having lateral projections extending beyond tho edges of the body of the door, guide rollers upon the car, locking cablesengaging the lateral projections, retaining devices for the locking cables, sheaves u on the car for'disengaging the locking cab es from the lateral projections at the approach of the car, and means for taking up the slack in the cables.

7. Elevator door mechanism, comprising an elevator well, having a series of vertically alined door opcniugsan elevator car, a Ilexible door` device constructed and arranged to close all of the door openings inthe well, except the one in front of the car, and having lateral projections extending beyond the edges of the body of the door, guide rollers upon the car, locking cables engaging the lateral projections, retaining devices Afor the locking cables, sheaves u on the car for disengaging the locking cab es from the lateral projections at the ap roach of the car, and means for adjusting t 1e cross bars upon the cables.

JACKSON L. KAIL'.

Witnesses:

CHARLES O. SnERvEY, WM. P. BOND. 

